title: The transfusion effect in cadaver kidney transplants--yes or no.
abstract: The transfusion effect in first cadaver kidney transplants was re-examined at the UCLA Transplant Registry. One-year graft survival rates were 71% for non-transfused patients, which improved to 75% (P less than 0.05) with a single transfusion, 77% (P less than 0.01) with 2, and 78% (P less than 0.01) with 3 and 4 transfusions. One-year graft survival rates did not improve further with additional transfusions but remained at the same level. Thus, the transfusion effect clearly does exist, and 2 to 4 transfusions are sufficient to obtain the maximum beneficial transfusion effect. Patients with zero HLA-DR mismatched transplants had no blood transfusion effect. Transfusions improved the 1-year graft survival rate by 8% for transplant recipients with 1 DR-mismatched grafts (P less than 0.01) and by 10% with 2 DR-mismatched grafts (P less than 0.01). The transfusion effect was greater in Black than White recipients; however, the 77% 1-year graft survival rate for transfused Black recipients of zero DR-mismatched kidneys did not differ from that of transfused comparably matched Whites. We conclude that transfusion protocols should not be abandoned unless patients receive zero DR-mismatched kidneys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, UCLA School of Medicine 90024.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwaki
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cecka
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Terasaki
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002102:Cadaver; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006085:Graft Survival; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens